Category Archives: wine

It’s that time of the year again – when I wish I’d started Christmas prep in September… But hey ho, I’m just not that organised. If you are feeling the strain slightly, here are my Top Five Tips for a Great Christmas Day for busy mums, dads, grannies, grandpas – and everyone else.

Do not panic. Get organised by thinking through the entire menu in advance and the various pots, pans and other dishes you will need on Christmas Day – check you know where they are, they are clean and they are ready to go.

Delegate. If your child is old enough to carry cutlery without falling over and accidentally stabbing themselves then they can help set the table. Get your dad to serve the drinks. Uncle Geoff can wash up. Small children like tasks too – you need everyone on board here. Your new mantra is, ‘Remember, there’s no ‘i’ in team, folks!’

Preparation. Check now you have the following essentials at home: batteries, coffee, black bin bags, number for local taxi firm, corkscrew that actually works, kitchen roll, loo roll, matches, copious amounts of sparkling wine 😉

Get outside. It is very easy to get very hot, quite stressed and cooped up in the house on Christmas Day. Get outside for some fresh air – you and the children will appreciate it! Stretch your legs with a little walk – you will come back to the hectic household feeling refreshed (and maybe even ready for more cheese…).

Music. Everyone likes a festive tune to help gee things along; line up a great Christmas playlist now (or better still, delegate this to husband/boyfriend/teenager– see point 2) – from carols to Bing Crosby, a good old family singalong as you dry up the dishes together can be one of those bonding moments you never forget!

Enjoy your Christmas Day!

It’s been an amazing year for me on lots of fronts, but of course, like any working mum of young children it’s had its stressful moments too, so I am really looking forward to a break from the routine. We are spending Christmas day with my lovely mum and dad, which we are all looking forward to. (Mum – make sure you read my handy tips!)

Thank you everyone for reading my blog, for sharing your stories and for supporting The One-Handed Cook in 2014. Thank you to the brands I’ve worked with for your support, too. Here’s to more in 2015.

Now, I realise it’s January, and lots of you are abstaining, but you can’t ALL be dry, and, anyway, let’s face it, as a parent, a glass of wine (on a Friday night in particular) is a welcome treat.

Several Fridays ago I tweeted an *extra Friday night tip*, on top of my usual daily tip for mums and dads, which said when you choose wine, make sure you go for ones with a screwcap because they’re easy to open one-handed – just grip the bottle between your knees. Which quite a few parents seem to have identified with…

Until today, wine guru, blogger and all-round good egg Helen McGinn (see www.knackeredmotherswineclub.com) has provided the tasting notes for my Friday night screwcap wine. Today, for the first time, I’m going it alone (eek). I don’t have any wine qualifications, other than I like drinking the stuff. Oh, and I did a WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) evening class about 10 years ago. So you’re just going to have to trust me on this one! Here goes:

Asda Extra Special Falanghina, 2011 (£6.98, currently on offer at the bargain price of £5). Falanghina grapes are grown in Puglia, which is in the heel of Italy’s boot. A very very drinkable white wine. Dry, with a lovely nectarine aroma and a faint whiff of sherbet, it is, as the label says, ‘like sunshine in a glass’. With just the right level of acidity, it is smooth and oh-so moreish. Would make a great aperitif, perhaps with some pâté on toast.

A few Fridays ago I tweeted an *extra Friday night tip*, on top of my usual daily tip for mums and dads, which said when you choose wine, make sure you go for ones with a screwcap because they’re easy to open one-handed – just grip the bottle between your knees. Which quite a few parents seem to have identified with (thanks for the comments!)…

Award-winning blogger Helen McGinn is an ex-supermarket wine buyer and all-round wine guru (check out her brilliant blog www.knackeredmotherswineclub.com where she recommends one great red and one very slurpable white every week plus shares insights on her life as a knackered mother) and she’s kindly offered to share her favourite screwcap wines with me to share with you every Friday. Hurrah!

So, without further ado, this Friday’s screwcap wine is:

Porcupine Ridge Syrah, £5.99 on offer, Waitrose This one was named the ‘Spiky Pig’ wine by a friend because of the label (she missed that it was, in fact, a porcupine, as the name might suggest). Anyhoo, this is unashamedly bramble-fruited in character, with a whiff of the herbal. Proper cockle-warming stuff from South Africa.

A few Fridays ago I tweeted an *extra Friday night tip*, on top of my usual daily tip for mums and dads, which said when you choose wine, make sure you go for ones with a screwcap because they’re easy to open one-handed – just grip the bottle between your knees. And so Friday’s Screwcap Wine was born…

Award-winning blogger Helen McGinn is an ex-supermarket wine buyer and all-round wine guru (check out her brilliant blog www.knackeredmotherswineclub.com where she recommends one great red and one very slurpable white every week plus shares insights on her life as a knackered mother) and she’s kindly offered to share her favourite screwcap wines with me to share with you every Friday. Hurrah!

Helen says, “This Friday’s screwcap wine is Villa Maria Private Bin Riesling 2011, Marlborough, Majestic £9.49 (or £7.59 if you buy 2). Made by one of the most dependable and quality-driven wine producers in New Zealand. It comes with a big dollop of lime, capable of kicking even the coldest tastebuds into action. Put with a coriander-flecked Thai curry, and thank me afterwards.”

A couple of Fridays ago I tweeted an *extra Friday night tip*, on top of my usual daily tip for mums and dads, which said when you choose wine, make sure you go for ones with a screwcap because they’re easy to open one-handed – just grip the bottle between your knees. Which quite a few parents seem to have identified with (thanks for the comments!)…

Award-winning blogger Helen McGinn is an ex-supermarket wine buyer and all-round wine guru (check out her brilliant blog www.knackeredmotherswineclub.com where she recommends one great red and one very slurpable white every week plus shares insights on her life as a knackered mother) and she’s kindly offered to share her favourite screwcap wines with me to share with you every Friday. Hurrah!

So, without further ado, this Friday’s screwcap wine is:

Cowrie Bay Chardonnay 2012, £6.99 (or 2 for £10 – it’d be rude not to really…) from Waitrose. Helen says, ‘This is proper pineapple in a glass, with a sort of fatness to it that is just what you want now that it’s bloomin’ freezing outside. Made in the Gisborne region in New Zealand. Purty label too, bright yellow. You can’t miss it.’

A couple of Fridays ago I tweeted an *extra Friday night tip*, on top of my usual daily tip for mums and dads, which said when you choose wine, make sure you go for ones with a screwcap because they’re easy to open one-handed – just grip the bottle between your knees. Which quite a few parents seem to have identified with (thanks for the comments!)…

Co-blogger Helen McGinn is an ex-supermarket wine buyer and wine guru (check out her brilliant blog www.knackeredmotherswineclub.com where she recommends one great red and one very slurpable white every week plus shares insights on her life as a knackered mother) and she’s kindly offered to share her favourite screwcap wines with me to share with you every Friday. Hurrah!

So, without further ado, this Friday’s screwcap wine is:

Waitrose New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, £6.99 on offer (normally £9.49) and available here. This one is made for Waitrose by renowned winery Villa Maria, so it’s a great wine but with an own label on it. Gorgeous, fresh lime-filled fruit flavours, perfect pre-prandial drinking, so buy some posh crisps to go with it. (Failing that a mini breadstick would just about do it.)

Last Friday I tweeted an *extra Friday night tip*, on top of my usual daily tip for mum and dads, which said when you choose wine, make sure you go for ones with a screwcap because they’re easy to open one-handed – just grip the bottle between your knees. Which quite a few parents seem to have identified with (thanks for the comments!)…

Co-blogger Helen McGinn is an ex-supermarket wine buyer and wine guru (check out her brilliant blog www.knackeredmotherswineclub.com where she recommends one great red and one very slurpable white every week plus shares insights on her life as a knackered mother) and she’s kindly offered to share her favourite screwcap wines with me to share with you every Friday. Hurrah!

So, without further ado, this Friday’s screwcap wine is:

Tesco Finest Vermentino, £6.99, which you can buy online here. Vermentino is the grape, Sicily is the place. A wine with a sunny disposition, it’s fantastically lemon fresh.

Sounds like it’d be a great aperitif – perfect with that leftover packet of Pom Bear crisps…

I'm Kate and Finger, Fork and Knife is where I record the recipes that excite, nourish and inspire me. I focus on wholesome, high-nutrition, home-cooked food - recipes that satisfy and delight. Welcome!